The film is a Stan original and the feature directorial debut of Christiaan Van Vuuren, who honed his comedy skills on series such as Soul Mates and Squinters (directing several episodes of each) and is one of the ultra satirically woke Bondi Hipsters (whose amusing new half-hour spin-off on Stan, Dom and Adrian 2020, landed on the weekend). Written by Elliot Vella, Gretel Vella and Timothy Walke, A Sunburnt Christmas is wacky and sweet in a backhanded way, with a plot spearheaded by a costumed rascal bringing excitement to an otherwise uneventful, quintessentially Australian setting.
Daisy (Lena Nankivell) and Tom (Edan McGuinness) in A Sunburnt Christmas. Photograph: Ian Routledge/Stan